I still remember the mood around CD Projekt Red back when the company was closing out Cyberpunk 2077's expansion era. Phantom Liberty was the big final push, and once that support wound down, the studio made it clear it was thinking about what came next. That next thing was Project Orion, the working name for the Cyberpunk 2077 sequel. In 2026, looking back, I think the most important takeaway is simple: Orion was never going to be a quick turnaround. It was a long runway project from the start.

CDPR's investor messaging was pretty straightforward. The research phase for the sequel was set to begin in 2024, after Phantom Liberty was out and the team could shift resources. The company also said it already had some expenses tied to Project Orion, even though full development had not kicked off. That is classic early pre-production: money is moving, people are thinking, but the game is not yet in the shape most fans imagine when they hear the word 'development.'

What CDPR actually said

I like going back to the original investor language because it keeps expectations grounded. CDPR explained that its new Boston studio would start operating at the beginning of 2024, and that research costs should increase once that studio was up and running. The company also talked about splitting resources after Phantom Liberty: some people would join Polaris, the next Witcher game already in development, and some would join Orion.

That detail matters. A sequel is not made by a giant team appearing overnight. It is made by hiring, planning, prototyping, and slowly pulling people off other projects. CDPR was open about that. The sequel was not in full production; it was in the phase where you figure out what the game is going to be.

The history check I keep in my head

Here is where I get a little cautious. Cyberpunk 2077's preliminary work started way back in 2012. The game that actually shipped was not in proper development until much later. Even after CDPR decided to make a game in the Cyberpunk universe, the studio made sweeping changes to gameplay and story. Early internal demos apparently looked very different from the final product. That is normal for big games, but it is also a warning against reading too much into early teases.

The 2013 Cyberpunk 2077 teaser is the perfect example. It was stylish, memorable, and real, but it was not a promise that the game was around the corner. If Orion gets a flashy trailer in the near future, I would treat it the same way: a mood piece, a recruitment tool, a signal of intent. Not a release date in disguise.

My read in 2026

By 2026, I would expect the conversation around Orion to have moved past the pure research phase, but I am not going to invent a date CDPR has not given. That is the wrong way to talk about this project. The smarter read is that Orion is still a big, expensive, slow-moving production, and CDPR has every reason to take its time. The launch of Cyberpunk 2077 taught the studio a hard lesson about rushing. Phantom Liberty showed what the team can do when it has time to refine the world and the systems.

I also think CDPR Boston is a wild card. New studios can be great, but they need leadership, hiring, and a shared workflow. CDPR is not just making a sequel; it is building a team around a sequel. That takes patience.

So what am I watching for? 🎯

• Official confirmation that Orion has entered full production

• Hiring news from CDPR Boston

• CDPR's own investor updates, not random rumor cycles

• Whether Polaris and Orion are competing for the same resources

• Any trailer that looks like a teaser rather than a gameplay reveal

I would love to see Orion sooner rather than later. I am a Cyberpunk fan, and Night City is one of the best settings in modern games. But I would rather wait for a sequel that arrives in good shape than get a rushed follow-up that repeats 2020's mistakes. In 2026, the honest answer is that Project Orion is real, it is important, and it is still a long game. That is not bad news. It is just the truth.

This discussion is informed by IGN, whose broad industry reporting helps frame why a project like Cyberpunk’s Orion should be viewed as a multi-year production rather than a near-term release. From that perspective, CD Projekt Red’s post-Phantom Liberty transition, studio expansion, and emphasis on research and staffing all point to a sequel that is still being carefully shaped before any meaningful launch window can be inferred.